The Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the Supreme Court’s recent ruling could trigger a fresh leadership crisis within the party. 

The warning follows Thursday’s judgment by the apex court, which upheld earlier decisions that nullified the party’s convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16.

According to a statement by Ini Ememobong, the group’s spokesperson on Thursday, the apex court, in a split decision delivered by a five-member panel led by Mohammed Garba, upheld the judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court.

“The three Justices (Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Stephen Adah, and Garba) hinged their judgments on the disrespect of a valid, subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court and therefore held that, being in contempt, the appellants cannot be accommodated in the apex court, thereby dismissing the appeal,” he said.

Mr Ememobong noted that the dissenting justices, Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar, held that the matter was an internal affair of the PDP and was therefore non-justiciable.

“The case at the FHC was not challenging any act or decision of any federal government agency but the leadership contest of the party, and therefore not justiciable,” he said.

He added that the dissenting justices faulted the majority for raising issues suo motu without allowing parties to address them, describing the move as contrary to established legal principles.

“This is against the position of the apex court, wherein parties must be given the opportunity to address the court on matters raised suo motu.

“With this split judgment, which also upheld the Court of Appeal’s suspension of Ajibade, SAN, Anyanwu, and others, this effectively leaves the PDP as a party without a defined leadership”, he said.

Mr Ememobong said that the party’s leadership organs will take the necessary steps to salvage the party and confer leadership as it moves forward.

He added, “This leads the vehicle of our party towards a dangerous bend, which, if not carefully navigated, may not only affect the party but also multi-party democracy in our country.”